


O Valley of Plenty

by ketomax



Series: Of Faces, Drums, and All Things Bigger Than Us [1]
Category: Doctor Who (2005)
Genre: Emotional Baggage, Emotional Hurt, F/M, Fluff, Friends to Lovers, Hurt/Comfort, Not Beta Read, Old Friends, Pre-Threesome
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-28
Updated: 2020-01-28
Packaged: 2021-02-27 07:06:29
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,978
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22453135
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ketomax/pseuds/ketomax
Summary: Jack's back and the Doctor is up to her neck in problems. The fam don't understand because she won't explain, but Jack might be the friendly ear she needs.
Relationships: Thirteenth Doctor/Jack Harkness
Series: Of Faces, Drums, and All Things Bigger Than Us [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1615624
Comments: 10
Kudos: 163





	O Valley of Plenty

“You can stay, Jack. If you want, that is.” The Doctor smiles and looks over at Jack, all dusty, war-torn, and coat in tatters. In all truth she doesn’t want him to go, not now that she finally found him. Or rather, he found her- she hasn’t had much luck in finding people as of late. Jack was a sight for sore eyes indeed; with her eyes having seen many horrors of the universe, it was nice to lay eyes on something enjoyable. Her eyes watch his face for a million tiny signals; the corners of his mouth curling upwards into a smile, the bright promise in his eyes, the side-to-side shuffle and the clanking of boots on the grating speeding up with every passing millisecond and then all of a sudden Jack is up close and personal.

Jack’s voice is the panacea that she needs right now. It’s rich, smooth, and coats her ears like rich honey. “There’s nowhere else I’d rather be right now, Doctor, not anywhere. You can’t get rid of me that easily, anyway!” he chuckles, puffing his chest out like an egregious pigeon and rests his hands on his hips. There’s unshakable truth in every last word that leaves his mouth, which the Doctor finds comforting. Even looking as rough as he did, there was still no stopping him- tenacious to the very last.

A short silence follows where the Doctor and Jack assess each other carefully, anticipating the next move, before the moment is broken by laugher and grins ten feet wide and the two pull each other into a tight hug, neither wanting to let go. She presses her face against his neck, skin and golden hair now smeared with dust and dirt and gods knows what else- but it doesn’t matter. He’s here, and alive, living and breathing in front of her, in her arms, and right now she felt on top of the world.

Jack is so proud of her, and doesn’t want to let go; his arms tight around her shorter form. It was a surprise, her change, but not an unwelcome one. The Doctor was radiant whatever the gender- not that that had ever bothered Jack before. The man had a reputation to uphold! He breathes in her scent as his head rests on her head and he can’t stop himself from grinning.

The entire universe around him could be collapsing and he wouldn’t care one bit. Jack was here, in the TARDIS, and it felt as if he had never left at all; the heart of the ship humming in his ears pretty melodies that were a far cry from the pained whimpers of the paradox machine. He knows they don’t even need to speak; the physical touch is all the reassurance they both need.

And then like clockwork, Graham coughs a little and opens his mouth, breaking the silence. “You gonna get yourself a room there, Doc?” he says with a chuckle. Yaz and Ryan share a look, eyebrow raised as if waiting for an answer.

Jack lifts his head up and shoots Graham a glance, “Wait your turn, you silver fox, you’ve already had a snog from me.” He winks and feels the Doctor chuckle against his neck and mouth something similar to 'Jack, stop it', but he can’t be sure. Graham splutters indignantly, and sits back down refusing to field questions from the other two, and Jack turns back to the Doctor and admires the view. “Fill me in on everything Doctor, I’ve got the time.”

She smiles briefly, before her eyes well a little and she quickly swallows. “You won’t like it.”

Yaz jumps up, full of energy and legs half dead from the uncomfortable seating arrangement and rocks back and forth to try and renew the blood flow. The Doctor had given them all the rundown on the mysterious Captain and their brief history, but given how cagey the Doctor had been recently, it was likely going to be up to the three of them to spill the beans. “Well, Captain-”

“Jack’s fine, really,” Jack replied, not hiding his mirth.

“Well, Jack,” she begins and taps her chin, humming curiously. “We... found the Doctor in a train, fought off a blue alien nutjob, stopped demons, big spiders-”

Jack laughs and nods, “I remember the spiders! Nasty things.”

“- witches, met the Ux, almost died because of the-” Yaz can see the Doctor shaking her head and mouthing something, but the words leave her mouth before she can even stop it, “-Master, and- oh, I take it you’ve met.” The look on Jack’s face was an enigma as he looks down at the Doctor and she looks... conflicted.

Jack breathes in deeply and rubs the Doctor’s arms as if to assure her this wasn’t her fault, and nods a little, “Yeah, we’ve met. Kept me hostage for an entire year- guy's an absolute lunatic!”

The three companions nod in agreement but quickly stop when they see the Doctor physically flinch. Jack notices and raises an eyebrow, “It wasn’t your fault, Doctor. I’ve told you that before. It’s not as if you’re trying to find him and make peace or anything,” he laughs trying to make light of the absurdity of it all, only to feel her pull away and the sound of her coat snapping in the air rings in his ears and he knows he made the wrong choice.

“You don’t know me, Jack,” she says, almost cut up as she hits a button on the console in frustration. “I’m trying to find him. I thought he could escape the Kasaavin, I could track him, find him, something, anything-” she began to ramble and her voice was beginning to crack from the strain, mouth dry in worry. “- I need to know.”

Jack stands opposite her at the console, hand stroking a piece of the coral feeling it hum appreciatively, and bites. “Know what?” his voice was level, unaccusing- maybe something had happened between them since the last time they’d met? That was the one thing about time travel Jack never enjoyed; all the catch-up. “Doctor, please, tell us.”

All around them the lights dimmed from a vibrant and glowing warm orange to a cool chilling blue, reflecting her inner mood of melancholy and worry. “... too many things. I need to find answers Jack, he’s not like the last time you two met. Something’s happened, Missy was- we- and now this- it doesn’t make any sense. Gallifrey’s burning to the ground, because of him, and I need to do something about it! This is bigger than him and I now Jack, this is bigger than all of us.”

Jack sighs, fingers rubbing at his temples. The Doctor can tell he isn’t convinced, but she doesn’t want to go into it now. She feels the stress creeping into her mind distracting her from her constant search for the Master and she knows after all that had happened... A rest was in order.

“I’ll be back later. I need to... Rest.” The Doctor didn’t leave room for arguing and she set the TARDIS to keep itself running, ticking over quietly in the background, and she moves passing by Graham, Yaz, Ryan, and Jack to descend into the lower levels.

Walking the corridors, she was alone with her thoughts and could barely hear herself think; the arguing with Jack had left a sour taste in her mouth. There was only one person she ever loved almost as much as the Master, and that was Jack. Her hand hovers above her door handle, it had been a while since she had used it- she was much happier usually to power nap near the console; for comfort as well as protection. The handle feels cool and she feels an unusual trepidation that she soon understands the cause.

“Doctor. We need to talk,” Jack says from the end of the corridor about ten feet away. His posture leaves no room for debate and he steps closer, trembling a little and hoping she doesn’t notice.

Her head turns to look at him, and the horrors of war and destruction were written all over her face with a side of tearful eyes and an overbitten lip. “I can’t. Jack, I can’t talk about it... You wouldn’t understand.” The Doctor opens the door and steps inside, noting how the interior had changed- the TARDIS knows exactly what she likes. She sits on the edge of the bed in the dimly lit room, admiring the silver and blue sheets, twinkling fairy lights above the pillows, and pretty sheer translucent canopy.

“You need to. God damn it Doctor, I can see you’re hurting bad and if you don’t talk about it, with someone who at least half gets what you go on about, you’re going to lose it,” Jack stands in the doorway, looking around the room. It was a perfect representation of her- sunny, bubbly, fun- everything right now that she wasn’t. “Can I come in?”

She looks up and smiles weakly, but her eyes are brimming with tears. She nods a little, and watches him come in, and nods again for a second time when Jack gestures at the bed. The mattress dips and she leans her head a little on Jack's shoulder wordlessly. “... Jack, I... It’s... Gallifrey. I... I’ve seen it. It’s destroyed, I’ve seen the citadel surrounded by fire and flames and shards of glass,” she begins slowly, but the more she talks the more emotion creeps into her voice and she begins to feel her voice waver, “and it was the Master, he... he told me himself that he had razed it to the ground and watched it burn because... Our lives, they’re... They’re a lie. The founding fathers lied to us and he had to do it to them...” Her voice hitches at the end of her sentence and tears begin to fall- she was never one for crying over things (bar the separation of a friend and the death of a friend) but something about Jack's presence was soothing and she felt her hearts and mind slow. “Jack... I don’t know who I am anymore.”

Jack listens quietly, lets her talk, and holds her arm as she unloads. Even though it hurts him, the way she talks about the Master and how wonderful he could be, he can’t help but feel the sting of betrayal- he couldn’t forget the way he had been treated. Through all that though, he listens, holds her close as she talks about history, her past, the last few faces she had. “For what it’s worth, Doctor, I’m sure they were all handsome. You, though, you’re radiant... Even though you’re... you know, older than I’ve ever seen you you’ve still got starlight in your eyes and a supernova in your soul. Doctor, that’s who you are. The one who heals. Saves. Cares. Gives their all. Never fails to be kind. I’ll be here, through all of this, for you, no questions asked. Because Doctor, you saved me from myself, and I’ll do everything in my power to do the same to you.”

The Doctor looks as if she’s going to cry all over again and pulls him into a tight hug, hands trembling as she feels the weight of her anxieties leave, if just for a second, which was all she needed. “Jack... Please don’t leave me too. I need you on my side here. If we can find him, Jack... We can take on whatever is bigger than all of us, together.” Her hand rests on his on the mattress between them, and almost instinctively but entirely of their own accord entwine their fingers together.

Jack looks at the Doctor, and the Doctor looks at Jack, and both of them smile and just for a second, the future looks a little brighter.

* * *

**Author's Note:**

> This was written for my girlfriend who wants more Jack/Thirteen, (and I want Thirteen/Master, so we combined it) and fluff, so here we are!


End file.
